Recipe The Paleo Diet Kimchi Korean fermented-min

Recipe: Paleo Kimchi

I hadn’t had Kimchi until I moved to Australia and ventured to some Korean barbeque restaurants. Not only does it taste amazing, as a fermented food, Kimchi is really good for gut health – a great inclusion in a Paleo diet.

One of my New Years resolutions this year was to eat more fermented food, so after coming up with a good Kombucha recipe – it was time to get experimenting with Kimchi.

This is how I made my batch of Kimchi. I’d love to hear how you make yours – and what other fermented food you include in your diet. Let me know in the comments below!

Kimchi Ingredients

  • 1 large Chinese cabbage
  • 4 litres (1 gallon) of water
  • 100g (1/2 cup) of Celtic sea salt (though any salt would be fine)
  • One clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • One 6cm (2 inch) strip of ginger, peeled and grated
  • 100ml (1/2 cup) Korean chilli powder (I found this in an Asian supermarket)
  • Dash of coconut aminos
  • Small bunch of spring onions, cut into strips
  • 1 radish, peeled and grated
  • 1 teaspoon of honey (this is needed to get the fermentation going – and the duration of the fermentation determines how much sugar remains in the end product)

How To Make Kimchi

Chop the cabbage into rough pieces, discarding the tough stem.

In a large bowl or stock pot, fully dissolve the salt in the water. Once dissolved, immerse the cabbage pieces in the water, using a plate to keep them submerged. Keep the cabbage underwater for two hours.

In another mixing bowl, mix together all of the other ingredients.

Once the cabbage has been underwater for two hours, remove it, drain it, rinse the salt water off and dry it thoroughly.

Now, mix all of the ingredients together.

Spoon the Kimchi into a clean glass jar and cover it firmly. Keeping the jar in a cool dry place, leave it alone for two days.

After a day or two, check the Kimchi. If it is bubbling, it is ready and can be eaten – or stored in the fridge. If not, it’s not quite ready, so leave it for another day and check again.

When it’s ready make sure you store it in the fridge. I’m sure there won’t be any left after a few days – but it’s best to eat it within two or three weeks before it becomes “too” fermented!

Recipe The Paleo Diet Kimchi Korean fermented-min

Enjoy!

Nasi Goreng recipe Indonesian Fried Rice Bali Java Primal Diet-min

Recipe: Nasi Goreng

In Indonesia Nasi Goreng is the national dish, appearing in every restaurant and food stall. Nasi means rice and Goreng is fried, so it is literally Fried Rice. Whilst everyone has their own take on Nasi Goreng, the flavours are fantastic, so I was keen to recreate a Paleo version of this dish when I got home from my trip. Obviously the first thing to change is the rice!

Nasi Goreng Ingredients
Sauce:

• Pinch of black peppercorns
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 8 macadamia nuts
• 1 small onion, peeled, roughly chopped
• 3cm (1 inch) fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
• Pinch of ground turmeric
• lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed, core chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 chilli peppers, seeds removed, roughly chopped
• Pinch sea salt (I’m using Celtic sea salt)
• Spoonful of coconut oil (virgin, unrefined)
• ¼ lime, juice only

Rice (Nasi):

• Spoonful of coconut oil
• 4 onions, diced
• Sea salt, to taste
• 300g (11oz) pre cooked cauliflower rice
• ½ litre (20oz) water
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled, finely chopped
• 3 chillies, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 250g (10oz) leftover diced chicken (cooked)
• Splash of coconut aminos
• 6 spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced

Serve With:

• Dash of coconut oil
• 4 large free-range eggs
• ¼ cucumber, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced

How To

In a pestle and mortar (or food processor if you have one), grind the peppercorns, nutmeg and macadamias until they form a powder. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and blend until they form a smooth paste.

Heat the coconut oil in a medium pan and fry the onions until they turn golden. Season, then remove from the pan.

Make the cauliflower rice and transfer onto a baking tray to cool.

Heat some more coconut oil in the pan and add the remaining onions, garlic, chillis and carrots. Stir fry until the carrot starts to become tender.

Add the sauce into the pan and stir for a minute. Add in the tomato paste and heat through for a final minute.

Into the pan, add the cooked chicken and cauliflower rice, and stir until it is thoroughly heated through. Finally, add in the coconut aminos and spring onions and mix in well. Take off the heat and keep warm.

Fry the eggs in coconut oil.

Dish the Nasi Goreng and top with the fried eggs. Finish with a side of tomatoes and cucumbers.

Enjoy!

Nasi Goreng recipe Indonesian Fried Rice Bali Java Primal Diet-min

Paleo tomato ketchup sauce red recipe primal diet

Recipe: Paleo Tomato Ketchup

It is so hard to find a tomato ketchup recipe that doesn't add in lots of sugar! Finally with a lot of tweaking, I’ve come up with my favourite Paleo tomato sauce recipe. A home made burger just isn't the same without tomato ketchup.

Paleo Tomato Ketchup Ingredients:

  • 15 Medium Tomatoes
  • 2 Onions, Chopped and Fried in Coconut Oil
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, Crushed and Fried in Coconut Oil
  • 1 Red Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
  • 100ml (4floz) Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprkia
  • Pinch Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
  • 6 Cloves
  • 3cm (1 inch) Peeled & Chopped Ginger

Paleo Tomato Ketchup How To:

Chop up the tomatoes and capsicum and along with the onion and garlic, bring to the boil in a pan of the red wine vinegar.

Stir occasionally, allow the mixture to reduce to a thicker consitancy.

Remove from the heat and puree in a blender to your desired level of smoothness, before returning to the pan over the heat.

In some muslin or a tea strainer, add the seeds, peppercorns, cloves and ginger and add to the pan.

Reduce the heat to simmer and cover until it thickens up to your liking.

Once ready, remove the muslin or strainer and bottle the ketchup and store in the fridge.

I’d love to hear how you make ketchup? What do you do differently?

Paleo tomato ketchup sauce red recipe primal diet

Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips paleo recipe crisps-min

Recipe: Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips

I finally found some Kale locally and after hearing so many great reports about Kale Chips, thought I'd make my own.

I used to love Salt & Vinegar chips (or crisps as they're known in the UK), so thought I'd attempt a Paleo equivalent.

Ingredients

  • A few leaves of kale
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Vinegar

Method

  • I preheated the over to 175C (350F)
  • I washed the kale and tore it off the steam, into small pieces. I then dried it thoroughly using a clean tea towel to make sure there was no water left.
  • I arranged the kale on a baking tray and coated with olive oil before putting into the oven
  • I kept an eye on the kale and after ten minutes removed from the oven.
  • Finally, I seasoned with the salt and a small amount of vinegar.

This was incredibly easy – and had the crunchy texture of crisps. A perfect Paleo snack!

Have you tried Kale chips? How do you make yours?

Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips paleo recipe crisps-min

paleo cauliflower rice recipe primal diet-min

Recipe: Cauliflower Rice

Rice is a great side for many meals – but why have the grain rice, when you can have a far more nutritious Paleo alternative? This recipe is quick and easy and can be varied by using different herbs and spices. You can also stir in an egg whilst cooking, to make an egg fried rice; or make it a dish in it's own right by adding more vegetables such as capsicum (bell peppers) and zucchini.

This rice is so good, I've served it up many times without people even realising it isn't “normal” rice!

Ingredients:

  • Half a cauliflower
  • Half an onion
  • Coconut oil
  • Pinch cumin
  • Pinch paprika
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Sea salt to taste

Method:

Grate the cauliflower florets by hand, or in a food processor, until the consistency resembles rice.

Dice the onion into small pieces and fry in olive oil over a medium heat

Once the onion starts to turn golden add the grated cauliflower and spices and stir for a few moments ensuring it doesn't burn. Add more oil if necessary.

Serve and enjoy! You can also make extra to store in the fridge, ready to be reheated with dinner.

How do you make cauliflower rice? Or perhaps you make a rice alternative using something other than cauliflower? Do share, in the comments below.

paleo cauliflower rice recipe primal diet-min

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe

As I wrote about yesterday, I'm currently trying to avoid tomatoes and undertake a low-salicylate Paleo diet. I usually use a lot of tomatoes in my cooking, as they are a great base for sauces and meals. My favourite dishes, ragu, bolognese and chilli all use lots of tomatoes, so I've been experimenting to find an alternative.

Since tomatoes are a nightshade, this recipe will be helpful to those avoiding nightshades too. I've also just realized that tomatoes have quadrupled in price in the last few months – so this is also good for the budget!

I used carrots and beetroot to make the “tomato” sauce, which I then used exactly as I would a real tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients in this bolognese. I'm not that keen on beetroot on it’s own but in this dish with all of the other flavours, it was a great addition.

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
If you avoid salicylates or just don't tollerate tomatoes very well, this tomato-free bolognese recipe will meet your needs for a tomato based sauce - but without the tomatoes! It tastes great, and LOOKS very tomatoey!
Ingredients
  • Carrots (I used about 9)
  • Beetroot (I used 4)
  • Leek, diced
  • 3 diced onions
  • Parsnip
  • 7 mushrooms, sliced
  • Pork mince (500g)
  • Beef mince (500g)
  • Coconut oil
  • Coconut aminos
  • Garlic powder
  • Oregano
  • Cinnamon
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Ground chilli
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. I peeled and roughly chopped the carrots, beetroot & parsnip and added them to a large pan of boiling water
  2. Meanwhile, in another pan I sautéed the onions in some coconut oil until they turned translucent
  3. Next, I added the mince and a splash of coconut aminos
  4. Once the meat had all browned, I added the leek, mushrooms and a small amount of each of the herbs and spices (I don’t use very much, but adjust according to how hot you like it – and how little you like beetroot!)
  5. I allowed the meat mixture to simmer on a low heat, stirring regularly, and adding water from the carrot & beetroot pan as it dried out
  6. Once the carrots and beetroot's started to soften, I turned the heat off and puréed in the blender
  7. With the tomato-free “tomato sauce” ready, I added it to the meat pan and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes before serving

If you have any suggestions for alternatives to tomatoes, please share in the comments below…

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Paleo Vitamin A Soup Recipe-min

Vitamin A Soup Recipe

Well, actually, it’s Butternut Squash, Carrot and Sweet Potato soup – but these three are loaded with Vitamin A and Beta-carotene as well as many other vitamins and minerals.

I love soup – even though it’s summer here in Australia at the moment, I still eat it regularly.  I find it really filling as a meal on its own and easy to make in advance.  This is something I make in the largest pot I have and separate out into lots of individual portions, before freezing.  I make lots of different soups, but this one is my favourite as it’s sweet and has a great texture.

Vitamin A Soup Recipe
Recipe type: Soups
Ingredients
  • 1 Butternut Squash
  • 6 Carrots
  • 1 Small Sweet Potato
  • 2 Small Onions
  • Chicken Stock
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • Nutmeg
  • Corriander
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. I slice the onion and sauté it in the coconut oil in a large pot. Once it’s ready I add the chicken stock (this is something I make up in advance and take out of the freezer to defrost).
  2. I roughly cut all the vegetables into chunks before adding them to the pot. I then turn the heat down to a simmer and allow the vegetables to cook for 30 minutes or so, adding the seasoning. I add the nutmeg and coriander at the end and turn off the heat.
  3. I don’t drain the pot, but instead transfer it all into my blender (in several batches) and blend it until it reaches a nice constituency. Once it’s all blended I separate it into individual portions and freeze.

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Paleo Vitamin A Soup Recipe-min

Tri Colour Vegetable Cake paleo diet recipe veggies-min

Tri Colour Vegetable Cake Recipe

I felt like experimenting in the kitchen earlier and came up a Recipe for these colourful vegetable cakes.  They were a great colourful addition to a steak, all be it a little unusual!  They were a bit too soft, so I think next time I'll bake them for a bit longer.

Tri Colour Vegetable Cake Recipe
Recipe type: Snacks
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1 large red capsicum (bell pepper)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut cream (I use Ayam)
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • tri_coloured_veggie_cakes_b-min
Instructions
  1. I diced the capsicum and then boiled the capsicum, spinach and carrots separately, for a few minutes.
  2. In turn I then blended each of the vegetables with a third of the eggs and a spoonful of cream.
  3. Once each vegetable was blended I then spooned them into a silicon muffin tin, layer by layer.
  4. I then cooked them at 160 degrees for about 20 minutes, until they started to brown
  5. tri_colour_vegetable_cake_paleo_diet_recipe_veggies_a-min

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I'll probably try this Recipe again, but perhaps with a few different coloured vegetables.

Have you come up with a Paleo Recipe for any interesting vegetable dishes?

Tri Colour Vegetable Cake paleo diet recipe veggies-min